TRANSITION TO POST-2020 EUROPE
27-28 November 2017
Venue:
Hungarian Academy of Science
9 Széchenyi István square
1051 Budapest, Hungary
#Europe2020 #EESC
Background
In 2010 the European Union (EU) launched the 10-year strategy replacing the Lisbon Strategy: theEurope 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The Strategy set the EU common goals and policy priorities until 2020. During the last seven years, the EU and Member States implemented the Strategy with the support of the European Semester. Other initiatives have beenadopted to secure the economic recovery. In 2015 the Investment Plan for Europe (the so-called Juncker Plan) was launched to address the low levels of investment around Europe. However, theEurope 2020 Strategy is soon coming to an end and the EU needs to prepare the new framework for the next decade and beyond.
Since 2010 Europe political and economic situation has intensely changed. While Europe is progressively recovering from the long-lasting effects of the economic and financial crisis; new political, economic, environmental and social challenges have emerged. All actors agree that the EU is at a crucial crossroads and its future is at stake. The new context requires a renewed framework that strengthens Europe's response to these challenges and provides a new sustainable horizon for theEuropean project.
In this context, a period of reflection was initiated with the publication of the European Commission White Paper on the future of Europe in March 2017 and should conclude with the European Parliament elections in 2019. This conference feeds into this reflection by bringing together civil society to discuss and provide their key contribution to the transition towards a new post-2020 participatory long term strategy.

With the support of:


Hungarian Economic Association / and / / / /
The objectives of the conference are:
  • To contribute to a broad debate on the transition towards a new European strategy post- Europe 2020;

  • To engage the discussion on the future of Europe and the European project with awareness of theprofound transformations Europe is undergoing;

  • To address developments from the Lisbon Strategy to the Juncker Plan and reflect on lessons learned from stabilisation efforts made during the crisis;

  • To identify different approaches and possible solutions to safeguard European values such as peace, cohesion and innovation;

  • To address the transformative effects digitalisation and accelerated technological changes (theIndustrial and Information Revolution) have on economy and society;

  • To formulate a position on a new sustainable boost for Jobs, Growth and Investment;

  • To review the interrelationshipbetween macroeconomic stability and a resilient welfare system;
  • To provide orientation on the responsibility civil society has in taking a lead in building asustainable, inclusive and cohesive European future.

DRAFT PROGRAMME
MONDAY, 27 NOVEMBER
2 p.m. − 2.30 p.m. / Registration, welcome and coffee
2.30 p.m. − 2.40 p.m. / Welcome message
Etele Baráth, President of the Europe 2020 Steering Committee (EU2020SC) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
2.40 p.m. − 2.45 p.m. / Opening remarks
Katalin Langerne, Deputy State Secretary for Social Inclusion in the Ministry of Human Capacities
2.45 p.m. − 3.45 p.m. / Keynote speakers
Luca Jahier, President of the Various Interests Group of the EESC:
"The new responsibility of civil society for a sustainable European future"
István PálSzékely, Director in the Directorate-Generalfor Economic and Financial Affairs at the European Commission:
"Inclusive and sustainable Union – how to get there?"
PhilippeLamberts, Member of the European Parliament, Co-Chair of the Group of Greens/European Free Alliance in the European Parliament:
"Which common ambition for Europeans beyond 2020?"
Gábor Iván, Director for General Policy, Council of the European Union:
''Unprecedented debate on Financial Framework: the next one''
BalázsMolnár, Deputy State Secretary in the Hungary's Prime Minister's Office:
''Competitiveness and convergence – The European Union of new realities''
3.45 p.m. – 4.30 p.m. / Questions & Answers moderated by Etele Baráth, President of theEU2020SC of the EESC
4.30 p.m. – 4.45 p.m. / Coffee break
4.45 p.m. – 5.30 p.m. / Debate with the representatives of the national Economic and Social Councilson Organised Civil Society and The Future of Europe, moderated by Attila Szücs, President of the National Economic and Social Council of Hungary
Keynote speaker:
Paul Fourier,Member for the General Confederation of Labour in theEconomic, Social and Environmental Council of France
National Economic and Social Councils representatives:
ESC Hungary: László Kuti, Róbert Szendrei
ESC Luxembourg: Daniel Becker
ESC Spain: Beatriz Martín Nieto
ESC The Netherlands: Roland Zwiers
TUESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER
8.30 a.m. – 9 a.m. / Welcome and coffee
9 a.m. – 10.45 a.m. / PANEL 1 – WHY DO WE NEED A SUCCESSOR TO THE EU2020 STRATEGY?
9 a.m. – 9.50 a.m. / Keynote speakers:
Brenda King, President of the Sustainable Development Observatory at the EESC– introduction/chair
Enrico Giovannini, Director of the Italian Alliance for SustainableDevelopment (via Skype)
Péter Balázs, Professor at Central European University and former European Commissioner for Regional Policy
9.50 a.m. – 10.45 a.m. / Members of the panel:
Moderator, Tamás Halm, member of the board of the Hungarian Economic Association
Csaba Kőrösi, Director of Environmental Sustainability at the Office of the President of Hungary
Juraj Sipko, EESC Member
Gábor Bartus, Secretary-General of the Hungarian National Council for Sustainable Development
Open floor discussion and written live contributions by students from following universities: Budapest Business School (BudapestiGazdaságiEgyetem);Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest;DebreceniTudományegyetem, Debrecen; National University of Public Service, Budapest (NemzetiKözszolgálatiEgyetem).
This first panel will focus on the following:
  • An analysis of the strengths and challenges of the Europe 2020 Strategy;
  • The need for a coherent horizontal post-2020 EU development strategy for the future;
  • Establishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the future horizontal EU-strategy with special emphasis on the social aspects of growth and jobs;
  • A new paradigm for the post-2020 transition.

10.45 a.m. – 11 a.m. / Coffee break
11 a.m. – 12.45 p.m. / PANEL 2 – WHAT ARE THE NEW TRENDS IN SOCIETY OF TRANSITIONS?
11 a.m. – 11.30 a.m. / Keynote speakers:
Pavel Trantina, President of the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC) of the EESC– introduction/chair
Seamus Boland, EESC member
Anne Demelenne, EESC Member
11.30 a.m. – 12.45 p.m. / Members of the panel:
Moderator, Tamás Halm, member of the board of the Hungarian Economic Association
Bernadett Petri, Policy Assistant in the Cabinet of Commissioner Navracsics
Stefano Palmieri, EESC Member
Kinga Joó, EESC Member
Stéphane Buffetaut,EESC member
Open floor discussion and written comments by students from following universities:Budapest Business School (BudapestiGazdaságiEgyetem);Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest;DebreceniTudományegyetem, Debrecen; National University of Public Service, Budapest (NemzetiKözszolgálatiEgyetem).
This second panel will focus on the following:
  • The major challenges Europe faces in the coming decades (resource depletion, social disparities, democratic challenges) as linked to the SDGs;
  • The megatrends of globalisation, digitalisation and accelerated technological change;
  • The expected socio-economic effects of these challenges and megatrends, for instance on jobs in the knowledge economy.

12.45 p.m. – 1 p.m. / GyulaPleschinger, Presidentof the Hungarian Economic Association,Member of the Hungarian Monetary Council
1 p.m. -2.30 p.m. / Lunch break
2.30 p.m. – 3.45 p.m. / PANEL 3 – WHAT TYPE OF NEW GOVERNANCE DO WE NEED?
2.30 p.m. – 3.00 p.m. / Keynote speakers:
Péter Ákos Bod, Professor at the Budapest University of Economics, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Carlos Trias Pintó, EESC Member
3.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m. / Members of the panel:
Moderator, Tamás Halm, member of the board of the Hungarian Economic Association
GusztávBáger, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Tibor Faragó,Professor honoris causa at St Istvan University
Open floor discussion
This third panel will focus on the following:
  • The role a post-2020 horizontal strategy can play in building the kind of society Europeans want;
  • The methods through which the EU can contribute in bringing about that change (e.g. defining policy and identifying factors that can drive or hinder change);
  • The role participants in the EU decision-making process should have and the new role other European stakeholders (especially the civil society representatives) can have;
  • Opportunities fornational ESCs, economic and social partners, and sustainable development organisations toprovide greater input on action needed;
  • The challenges participatory governance could face during future transitions.

4 p.m. – 5.30 p.m. / CONCLUSIONS:DIFFERENT SCENARIOS FOR THE FUTURE OF EUROPE
4 p.m. – 5.20 p.m. / Keynote speakers:
Etele Baráth,President of the EU2020SC of the EESC
Gábor Zupkó, EC Representation in Hungary
GyulaPleschinger,Presidentof the Hungarian Economic Association,Member of the Hungarian Monetary Council
5.20 p.m. – 5.30 p.m. / Closing remarks:
Etele Baráth, President of the EU2020SC of the EESC
Inspired by, but not restrained by, the five scenarios for the Future of Europe as presented in the EC White Paper, discussed in the EESC Resolution thereon and reflected upon in the national consultations organised by the EESC in all member states.
Guiding principles
  1. Political tools and strategies, with a view to proposing new and stronger pillars for the European venture, must be rethought.Greater consideration must be granted to elements such as: strengthening social cohesion, developing EMU, ensuring the legitimacy of the European project among citizens, stakeholder participation and compliance with subsidiarity.

  1. The conference should define a timeline for the development of a future horizontal strategy that is sufficiently flexible to respond to short-, mid- and long term needs.

  1. The European venture should be steered by a more participative and sustainable development-oriented model of European governancewith organised civil society playing a central role.

Interpreting requested from / DE-EN-FR-HU
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